System for making a beverage, and a beverage cartridge

ABSTRACT

A beverage preparation machine of the type which uses pre-packaged containers of beverage ingredients includes a cartridge recognition device for determining the type of beverage to be prepared from a cartridge inserted into the machine and a variable geometry valve located downstream of a cartridge when inserted in the machine. The valve enables preparation of beverages at a range of pressures by having at least an open position and at least one restricted flow position, and a controller for selecting an initial valve position and controlling the subsequent operation of the valve according to the determination of the type of beverage to be prepared by the cartridge recognition device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/130,473, filed Mar. 25, 2014, which is a U.S. national phaseapplication of International Application No. PCT/GB2012/051776, filedJul. 24, 2012, which claims the benefit of United Kingdom ApplicationNo. GB 1113118.2, filed Jul. 29, 2011, which are all hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method and a system for making abeverage, and a beverage cartridge. In particular, it relates tomethods, systems and cartridges for making coffee-based beverages.

BACKGROUND

It is well known to make coffee-based beverages by extraction of roastedground coffee with an aqueous medium such as water. Typically, the watertemperature required to produce a consumer-acceptable beverage isgreater than 85° C. Beverage preparation machines have been producedthat make coffee-based beverages from beverage cartridges (also known aspods or capsules) containing roasted ground coffee. Typically suchbeverage cartridges which are designed to produce a single serving ofbeverage contain up to 7 g of roasted ground coffee having a dry Helosparticle size distribution of 320 to 480 microns. Such beveragepreparation machines typically heat water to a temperature greater than85° C. and pump the water through an extraction chamber in the beveragecartridge.

It is also known to produce coffee-based beverages 25 using unheatedwater at ambient room temperature (typically 20 to 25° C.) via a processcalled “cold-press.” This requires steeping roasted ground coffee for anextended period of time of at least 3 hours, and preferably 6 to 8hours, in unheated water. The time required to produce a beverage inthis manner makes the process unsuitable for on-demand beveragedelivery.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to the present disclosure there is provided a method ofdelivering a beverage comprising the steps of:

at least partially filling an extraction chamber with roasted groundcoffee;

passing an aqueous medium through the extraction chamber to form thebeverage; and discharging the beverage from the extraction chamber;

wherein the roasted ground coffee has a dry Helos particle sizedistribution D50 of less than or equal to 200 microns;

wherein the aqueous medium has a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C.; andwherein the flow rate of the aqueous medium through the extractionchamber is 0.5 to 5 mls⁻¹.

It has been surprisingly found that using very finely ground roastedground coffee having a dry Helos particle size distribution D50 of lessthan or equal to 200 microns allows a consumer-acceptable beverage to beproduced using an aqueous medium at a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C. andwith a flow rate through the extraction chamber of 0.5 to 5 mls⁻¹. Thebeverage produced has been found to possess a flavor profile that isintense, aromatic, balanced, rounded and with low acidity and lowbitterness.

The surprisingly fast flow rates enabled by the method allow theproduction of unheated coffee-based beverages (or coffee beverages at arelatively “low” temperature of up to 40° C.) on demand without the needfor steeping roasted ground coffee for a number of hours. For example, atypical volume of an espresso coffee is around 40 ml. The present methodand system enable such a quantity of beverage to be produced using anaqueous medium at a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C. in a time of only 8to 80 seconds.

In this specification unless otherwise required by the 5 context, thefollowing terms have the following meanings:

“Roasted coffee” means a coffee substance that has been produced by theroasting of green coffee beans. The substance may be in the form of aroasted coffee bean or in some other form produced by onward processingsteps such as grinding, decaffeination, pressing, etc. Particularexamples of roasted coffee include roasted coffee beans, roastedexpeller cake, roasted and flaked coffee.

“Roasted ground coffee” means a roasted coffee substance that has beensubject to a comminution process in order to reduce the particle size ofthe original roasted coffee substance. Again, unless otherwise requiredby the context the comminution process may include one or more ofgrinding, chopping, pounding and crushing.

“Helos particle size distribution D50”, means the 50^(th) percentilefigure by volume of the particle size distribution, as obtained from aHelos™ laser light diffraction particle size analyzer available fromSympatec, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany. That is, the D50 is a value onthe distribution such that 50% by volume of the particles have acharacteristic size of this value or less. The dry Helos particle sizedistribution is measured using a HELOS Hi197, R6 Lens, RODOS/MDispersing System and VIBRI Feeder manufactured by Sympatec GmbH.

The HELOS is setup with an R6 lens and the following trigger parameters:

Start: Optical concentration>=1% (start the data acquisition once thiscondition occurs)

Valid: Always

Stop: 2 s at optical concentration<=1% or after 99 s

(stop data acquisition if either of those conditions occur)

Time base: 100 ms

The dispersion method using the RODOS (pressurised air stream) and VIBRI(vibrating vessel with controlled outlet geometry) is:

Pressure: 3.00 bar

Depression: 93.00 mbar

Revolution: 0%

Feeder: VIBRI

Feed rate: 100%

Gap Height: 4.0 mm

“Brew weight” means the weight of the brewed beverage received in thereceptacle after dispensation has completed.

“Fill weight” means the dry weight of roasted ground coffee within theextraction chamber.

“Free-flow density” means the density of the roasted ground coffeemeasured by pouring the roasted ground coffee under gravity into acontainer of known volume to fill the known volume without tamping,compaction, vibration or the like and calculating the density bydividing the mass of the roasted ground coffee contained by the volumeof the container.

“Free-flow volume” means the volume occupied by the roasted groundcoffee when under free-flow conditions and is calculated by multiplyingthe free-flow density of the roasted ground coffee by the mass of theroasted ground coffee.

“Fill ratio” means the ratio of the free-flow volume of the roastedground coffee within the extraction chamber to the volume of theextraction chamber.

“Soluble solids” means the percentage soluble solids as measured by aKyoto Density/Specific Gravity Meter DA-520 manufactured by KyotoElectronics Manufacturing Co. Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, using the followingset-up parameters:

Calculation Parameters:

Result: Conc. Cone. Units: % Conc. A + Bx + Cxx Formula: ParameterSet:Coe+. Data Replace: x <--d Parameters: A: 2.966410E+2 B: −8.424274E+2 C:5.461975E+2

Measurement Parameters:

Temperature: 20° C. Stability: 1 Limit Time: 600 s  Sequence: OnSampling Seq.: Set Sampling Time: 10 s Drain Seq.: Set Drain Time: 10 sRinse-1 Seq.: Set Rinse-1 Time: 30 s Rinse-2 Seq.: Set Rinse-2 Time: 15s Purge Seq.: Set Purge Time: 120 s  Cell Test: off Calib.: Air&Water

“Grinder setting” means the grinder setting (e.g. 0, 2, 4, 6, 8) on aDalla Corte® coffee grinder model K30 available from Dalla Corte ofBaranzate, Italy.

The aqueous medium used in the method may be water.

The roasted ground coffee preferably has a dry Helos particle sizedistribution D50 of less than or equal to 150 microns, more preferablyless than or equal to 100 microns. The dry Helos particle sizedistribution D50 in one example may be approximately 60 microns.

The aqueous medium may have a temperature of 1° C. to 25° C. In oneexample the temperature may be 15° C. to 25° C. In another example thetemperature may be 20° C. to 25° C. Advantageously the aqueous mediumfor the method does not require any heating prior to extraction. Inother words the aqueous medium may be used at its ambient temperature.This reduces significantly the energy requirement for producing thebeverage. The aqueous medium may be actively chilled prior to extractionif desired.

The flow rate of the aqueous medium through the extraction chamber maybe 1 to 3 mls⁻¹. In one example the flow rate may be approximately 2mls⁻¹. In another example the flow rate may be approximately 1 mls−¹.

The quantity of roasted ground coffee in the extraction chamber may be 9g or greater. In one example the quantity of roasted ground coffee inthe extraction chamber may be 9 g to 13 g. In another example thequantity of roasted ground coffee in the extraction chamber may be 10 gto 13 g. These quantities are intended for producing a single serving ofthe beverage. The method may also be used with larger quantities ofroasted ground coffee where multiple servings (e.g. a carafe) are to bedischarged.

The fill ratio of the extraction chamber may be greater than 80%. In oneexample the fill ratio may be greater than 100%. In another example thefill ratio may be 80% to 150%. Fill ratios in excess of 100% are enabledby compaction of the roasted ground coffee during filling.

Preferably the soluble solids in the beverage is greater than 4%.

The pressure in the extraction chamber during extraction may be 4 to 20bar (0.4 to 2 MPa).

The beverage may be coffee. Alternatively, the beverage may becoffee-based and contain one or more additional components. The beveragemay be foamed during discharge and/or have a crema formed thereon bypassing the beverage through an eductor as taught in EP1440639.

The present disclosure also provides a system for making a beveragecomprising a beverage preparation machine and a beverage cartridge;

wherein the beverage cartridge comprises an extraction chambercontaining roasted ground coffee having a dry Helos particle sizedistribution D50 of less than or equal to 200 microns; and

-   -   wherein the beverage preparation machine comprises a source of        an aqueous medium, a pump and a controller, the controller being        programmed to pump the aqueous medium through the extraction        chamber of the beverage cartridge at a flow rate of 0.5 to 5        mls⁻¹ and at a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C. to form the        beverage.

The roasted ground coffee in the beverage cartridge may have a dry Helosparticle size distribution D50 of less than or equal to 150 microns,preferably less than or equal to 100 microns. The dry Helos particlesize distribution D50 in one example may be approximately 60 microns.

The aqueous medium may be pumped at a temperature of 1° C. to 25° C. Inone example the temperature may be 15° C. to 25° C. In another example,the temperature may be 20° C. to 25° C.

The aqueous medium may be pumped at a flow rate of 1 to 3 mls⁻¹. In oneexample it may be pumped at approximately 2 mls⁻¹.

The quantity of roasted ground coffee in the extraction chamber of thebeverage cartridge may be 9 g or greater. In one example the quantity ofroasted ground coffee in the extraction chamber is 9 g to 13 g. Inanother example the amount is 10 g to 13 g.

The fill ratio of the extraction chamber may be greater than 80%. In oneexample the fill ratio may be greater than 100%. In another example thefill ratio may be 80% to 150%.

The beverage preparation machine may comprises a valve for setting anextraction pressure experienced during extraction in the extractionchamber of the beverage cartridge and wherein the controller isprogrammed to operate the valve to set the extraction pressure at 4 to20 bar (0.4 to 2 MPa).

The valve may be located downstream of the beverage cartridge.

The present disclosure further provides a beverage cartridge for use ina system as described above comprising an extraction chamber containing9 g or greater of roasted ground coffee having a dry Helos particle sizedistribution D50 of less than or equal to 200 microns.

The beverage cartridge may further comprise a code readable by thebeverage preparation machine, wherein the code may instruct thecontroller of the beverage preparation machine to pump an aqueous mediumthrough the extraction chamber of the beverage cartridge at a flow rateof 0.5 to 5 mls⁻¹ and at a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C. to form abeverage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examples of the present disclosure will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a beverage preparation machine andbeverage cartridge according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a graph showing a particle size distribution for a first grindof roasted ground coffee;

FIG. 3 is a graph showing a particle size distribution for a secondgrind of roasted ground coffee;

FIG. 4 is a graph of percentage soluble solids versus fill weight;

FIG. 5 is a graph of percentage soluble solids versus grind setting;

FIGS. 6 to 8 are aromatic compound profiles; and

FIG. 9 is a carbohydrate profile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system according to the presentdisclosure. The system 1 comprises a beverage preparation machine 2 anda beverage cartridge 3 which contains roasted ground coffee.

The beverage preparation machine 2 comprises a reservoir 10, a pump 11and a brew head 12.

The reservoir 10 contains, in use, an aqueous medium such as water. Thereservoir 10 may be manually fillable or plumbed in to a mains supply ofwater for automatic refilling. The reservoir 10 is connected to the pump11 by a suitable conduit such as a pipe 13.

The pump 11, in use, pumps water from the reservoir 10 to the brew head12 via a suitable conduit such as a pipe 14.

The beverage cartridge 3 contains the roasted ground coffee within aclosed chamber which forms an extraction chamber of the system. Thebeverage cartridge 3 is closed prior to use to maintain the freshness ofthe roasted ground coffee and is preferably pierced by the beveragepreparation machine during use. An example of a suitable beveragecartridge is described in EP1440903. However other types of beveragecartridge may be used.

The brew head 12 comprises a chamber 15 for receiving the beveragecartridge 3, an inlet mechanism for piercing an inlet in the beveragecartridge 3 and directing the water from pipe 14 into the beveragecartridge 3, and an outlet mechanism for piercing an outlet in thebeverage cartridge 3 and directing beverage formed from the water andthe roasted ground coffee into an outlet conduit which may be in theform of flexible tubing 16. A variable valve 17 is positioned below thelocation of the beverage cartridge 3 and operable on the flexible tubing16 to alter the back pressure experienced during use in the brew head12. The variable valve 17 may be a pinch valve where the distancebetween the pinching elements can be varied to effectively vary thecross-sectional flow area of the flexible tubing 16. The outlet of thevariable valve 17 leads to the outlet 19 of the machine where thebeverage is dischargeable into a receptacle 4, such as a cup, mug orcarafe.

The brew head 12 further comprises a barcode reader 18 which, in usereads a barcode provided on the beverage cartridge 3 to determinecertain brew parameters, for example the volume of beverage to bedispensed and the flow rate of the water to be pumped.

A controller (not shown) controls operation of the pump 11, variablevalve 17 and barcode reader 18. The beverage preparation machine 2 maycomprise other components which have been omitted from FIG. 1 forclarity. For example, a flow meter may be provided to determine thequantity of water pumped to the brew head 12.

It is to be noted that the beverage preparation machine 2 does notrequire a water heater for operation as the water in the reservoir 10 ispreferably at ambient temperature or previously chilled below ambienttemperature.

The basic steps of operation of the method comprise:

a) filling an extraction chamber with roasted ground coffee;

b) passing an aqueous medium through the extraction chamber to form thebeverage; and

c) discharging the beverage from the extraction chamber.

The roasted ground coffee in the beverage cartridge has a dry Helosparticle size distribution D50 of less than or equal to 200 microns. Theroasted ground coffee may be produced by grinding roasted coffee beansusing a coffee grinder. The particle size distribution for one sample atgrinder setting 0 is shown in FIG. 2. The x-axis of FIG. 2 shows theparticle size in microns. The left-hand y-axis shows the cumulativedistribution Q₃ as a percentage. The right-hand y-axis shows the densitydistribution q31g. The dry Helos particle size distribution D50 for FIG.2 is 60.88 microns.

The particle size distribution for one sample at grinder setting 8 isshown in FIG. 3. The x- and y-axes are as above. The dry Helos particlesize distribution D50 for FIG. 3 is 335.99 microns.

Three samples at each of grinder settings 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 were measuredby the Helos equipment with the results shown in Table 1:

TABLE 1 Grinder setting 0 2 4 6 8 D₅₀ (sample 1) 60.96 109.34 189.41265.57 335.99 μm D₅₀ (sample 2) 60.88 109.74 188.39 265.52 336.94 μm D₅₀(sample 3) 61.38 111.44 191.13 264.11 335.3 μm D₅₀ (AVERAGE) 61.07110.17 189.64 265.07 336.08 μm

Where pre-packaged beverage cartridges are used, the filling of theextraction chamber is carried out during manufacture of the beveragecartridge 3.

The use of very finely ground roasted ground coffee allows a greaterweight of roasted ground coffee to be filled into a specific volume withor without compression of the roasted ground coffee. For example, abeverage cartridge 10 of the type shown in FIG. 18 of EP1440903 andcommercially available under the trade name Tassimo® Kenco® Medium RoastT-disc®, from Kraft Foods UK Ltd., typically has an extraction chambervolume of 28 cm³ and a fill weight of approximately 7 g of roastedground coffee with a dry Helos particle size distribution D50 of around320 to 480 microns. The fine grinds of the present disclosure allow theT-disc® extraction chamber to contain a fill weight of 9 to 13 g.

For example, for roasted coffee ground at grinder setting 0 thefree-flow density of the roasted ground coffee was at least 0.37 gcm⁻³(at this grinder setting measurement of the free-flow density may notavoid inclusion of some air pockets within the measuring containerresulting in the density result being a lower limit on the actualdensity) As shown in Table 2 below, when filled into a T-disc® 25extraction chamber of volume 28 cm³ the following fill ratios wereobtained:

TABLE 2 Fill Compaction Headspace Filling Weight (g) (%) (cm³) Ratio (%)13 25.0 0.0 125 12 15.4 0.0 115 11 5.8 0.0 106 10.4 0.0 0.0 100 10 0.01.1 96 9 0.0 3.8 87 8 0.0 6.5 77 7 0.0 9.2 67

It is to be noted that the extraction chamber may be substantially fullyfilled with 0.4 g of roasted ground coffee ground at grinder setting 0under free-flow conditions without any compaction. Higher fill ratiosare achievable by use of compaction, vibration, etc.

In another example, for roasted coffee ground at grinder setting 8 thefree-flow density of the roasted ground coffee was 0.32 gcm⁻³. As shownin Table 3 below, when filled into a T-disc® extraction chamber ofvolume 28 cm³ the following fill ratios were obtained:

TABLE 3 Fill Compaction Headspace Filling weight (g) (%) (cm³) Ratio (%)13 46.6 0.0 147 12 35.3 0.0 135 11 24.1 0.0 124 10 12.8 0.0 113 9 1.50.0 102 8.9 0.0 0.0 100 8 0.0 2.7 90 7 0.0 5.9 79

Here, the extraction chamber was filled under free-flow conditions by8.9 g of roasted ground coffee. Again, higher fill ratios may beobtained using compaction, etc.

The water in the reservoir 10 may have a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C.At temperatures below 1° C. the water will freeze and not be usable. Asshown below, it has been found that temperatures of no more than 40° C.provide beneficial results. The water may be at ambient temperature—thatis at the temperature of the beverage preparation machines localenvironment. For a typical setting of the machine in a domestic house ora retail shop ambient temperature may typically be 20 to 25° C.

The water is pumped through the extraction chamber of the beveragecartridge 3 at a flow rate of 0.5 to 5 mls⁻¹.

Table 4 illustrates the effect of changing the fill weight of theextraction chamber. For all samples in Table 4 the roasted coffee beanswere ground at grinder setting 0 and filled into a Tassimo® Kenco®Espresso Tdisc® with an extraction chamber volume of 28 cm³; the flowrate was 1 mls⁻¹ and the variable valve 17 was set to achieve a backpressure within the extraction chamber of 6 bar.

TABLE 4 Brew Fill Temp. weight Soluble weight (g) (° C.) (g) Commentssolids (%) 13 21 42.0 Good 6.03 13 21 43.8 Good 5.72 12 21 42.0 Good5.34 12 22 43.8 Good 3.89 11 22 43.0 Good 4.33 11 22 42.1 Good 4.88 1022 43.0 Good 4.28 10 22 42.4 Good 4.36 9 22 40.9 Acceptable 4.48 9 2241.0 Acceptable 4.36 8 22 40.2 Not Acceptable 3.80 8 22 41.3 NotAcceptable 3.79 7 22 39.7 Not Acceptable 3.35 7 22 40.6 Not Acceptable2.78

Samples which were rated “Good” had good visual extraction that wasattractive to samplers and a good or great taste and flavour accordingto samplers. Samples which were rated “Acceptable” had an acceptabletaste and flavor according to samplers but the visual appearance of theextraction was less good than those samples rated “Good”. Samples rated“Not Acceptable” had a weak and/or bitter taste according to samplers.

FIG. 4 plots the averaged percentage soluble solids at each sampled fillweight.

As can be seen, “Good” and “Acceptable” beverages were obtainedaccording to the present method wherein the percentage soluble solidswere greater than 4%, this being achieved where the fill weight was 9 gor greater.

Table 5 illustrates the effect of varying the grind size of the roastedground coffee. For all samples in Table 5 the fill weight of theextraction chamber in the Tassimo® Kenco® Espresso Tdisc® with anextraction chamber volume of 28 cm³ was 12 g; the flow rate was 1 mls⁻¹,the water temperature was 21° C. and the variable valve 17 was set toachieve a back pressure within the extraction chamber of 6 bar.

TABLE 5 Brew Grind weight setting (g) Comments Soluble solids (%) 0 44Good 5.24 0 45 Good 5.30 2 44 Good 4.16 2 44 Good 5.39 4 44 Acceptable4.83 4 45 Acceptable 4.82 6 45 Not Acceptable 3.91 6 45 Not Acceptable4.12 8 46 Not Acceptable 3.22 8 45 Not Acceptable 3.56

Samples which were rated “Good” had a good or great taste according tosamplers. Samples which were rated “Acceptable” had an acceptable tasteaccording to samplers. Samples rated “Not Acceptable” had a weak tasteaccording to samplers.

FIG. 5 plots the averaged percentage solids at each grinder setting.

As can be seen, “Good” and “Acceptable” beverages were obtainedaccording to the present method wherein the percentage soluble solidswere greater than 4%, this being achieved where the grinder setting was4 or lower (which equates from Table 1 to a dry Helos particle sizedistribution D50 of around 180 to 200 microns or lower)

Table 6 illustrates the effect of varying the water temperature. For allsamples in Table 6 the grinder setting was 0, the fill weight in theextraction chamber of the Tassimo® Kenco® Espresso T-disc® with anextraction chamber volume of 28 cm3 was 13 g, the flow rate 1 mls⁻¹ andthe variable valve 17 was set to achieve a back pressure within theextraction chamber of 6 bar.

TABLE 6 Temp. Brew weight (° C.) (g) Comments 21 43 Good 40 40 Good 6040 Not acceptable 10 80 na Not acceptable 90 na n/a due to rupture ofT-disc ®

Samples which were rated “Good” had a strong visual extraction and anintense taste according to samplers. Samples rated “Not Acceptable” hada taste that was too strong and bitter according to samplers. The sampleat 90° C. failed due to overpressure developed in the extractionchamber.

As can be seen, good beverages were obtained with a water temperature upto 40° C. However, operation of the method without heating of the waterprior to use is preferred as it leads to lower energy requirements foreach beverage. In addition, a simpler beverage reparation machine may beutilised that does not contain a heater.

It has also been surprisingly found that the beverages obtainedaccording to the methods of the present disclosure have an enhancedaroma profile (as measured by the quantities of aromatic compounds thatare desirable in coffee beverages) compared to coffee beverages preparedby extraction with hot water. FIG. 6 compares the relative quantity ofvarious aromatic compounds produced by two samples as might be consumed.The first, comparative, sample was brewed in a Tassimo® Kenco® EspressoTdisc® with an extraction chamber volume of 28 cm³, with a fill weightof the extraction chamber of 7 g of roasted ground coffee having a D50of 450 microns; the flow rate was 2 mls⁻¹, the water temperature was 90°C. and the variable valve 17 was set to achieve a back pressure withinthe extraction chamber of 6 bar. The second sample was brewed in aTassimo® Kenco® Espresso Tdisc® with an extraction chamber volume of 28cm³, with a fill weight of the extraction chamber of 13 g of roastedground coffee having a D50 of 30 microns; the flow rate was 1 mls⁻¹, thewater temperature was 22° C. and the variable valve 17 was set toachieve a back pressure within the extraction chamber of 6 bar. As canbe seen from FIG. 6 enhanced quantities of nearly all of the listedcompounds were achieved with the second sample.

FIG. 7 plots the same data as FIG. 6 but with the quantity of thecompounds normalised per gram weight of the fill weight to take intoaccount the higher fill weight of the second sample. As can be seen,even on a per gram basis the second sample produced higher quantities ofnearly all the listed compounds.

FIG. 8 compares the impact on the relative quantity of the aromaticcompounds produced by varying the fill weight. The first sample wasbrewed in a Tassimo® Kenco® Espresso Tdisc® with an extraction chambervolume of 28 cm³, with a fill weight of the extraction chamber of 7 g ofroasted ground coffee having a D50 of 30 microns; the flow 30 rate was 2mls⁻¹, the water temperature was 22° C. and the variable valve 17 wasset to achieve a back pressure within the extraction chamber of 6 bar.The second sample was identical except that the fill weight was 13 g. Ascan be seen from FIG. 8 enhanced quantities of nearly all of the listedcompounds were achieved with the second sample on an absolute and pergram basis.

It has also been surprisingly found that the beverages obtainedaccording to the methods of the present disclosure contain anunexpectedly high level of carbohydrates. FIG. 9 compares the quantityper brew of arabinose, galactose, glucose, manose for three brewconditions. The first, comparative, sample was brewed in a Tassimo®Kenco® Espresso Tdisc® with an extraction chamber volume of 28 cm³, witha fill weight of the extraction chamber of 7 g of roasted ground coffeehaving a D50 of 350 microns; the flow rate was 2 mls⁻¹, the watertemperature was 90° C. and the variable valve 17 was set to achieve aback pressure within the extraction chamber of 6 bar. The second samplewas brewed in a Tassimo® Kenco® Espresso T-disc® with an extractionchamber volume of 28 cm³, with a fill weight of the extraction chamberof 7 g of roasted ground coffee having a D50 of 60 microns; the flowrate was 2 mls⁻¹, the water temperature was 22° C. and the variablevalve 17 was set to achieve a back pressure within the extractionchamber of 6 bar. The third sample was brewed under the same conditionsas the second sample except that the fill weight of the extractionchamber was increased to 13 g of roasted ground coffee having a D50 of60 microns.

In the past it has been commonly understood that extracting roastedground coffee at a lower temperature will not fully extract carbohydratecompounds. However, using the 30 present methods the levels ofcarbohydrates produced even on a per gram basis (as shown by the secondsample) are similar to or, for some carbohydrates, even exceed thelevels produced by hot extraction.

While in the above detailed description the system and method has beendescribed using beverage cartridges for containing the roasted groundcoffee, the disclosure is not so limited. The roasted ground coffee may,for example, be filled directly into an ingredient receptacle of abeverage preparation machine, such as an espresso group handle.

Also, while it is not necessary for the beverage preparation machine toinclude a water heating means the method can be used with a beveragepreparation machine that has a heating means. In this case the heater issimply not utilised (where the water is to be used at ambienttemperature or chilled) or is used only to heat the water up 15 to 40°C.

The beverage preparation machine may be provided with a coolingmechanism for cooling the water in the reservoir 10 to a temperaturebelow ambient.

The beverage dispensed from the system may undergo a crema-productionstep to form a crema on the surface of the coffee beverage. Thecrema-generation step may be undertaken within the beverage cartridge bypassing the beverage through an eductor as described in EP1440903 orsimilar constriction or may be undertaken downstream of the beveragecartridge by passing the beverage through a suitable constriction toform a mass of fine air bubbles within the fluid flow. The variablevalve 17 may be used to provide the crema generation.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for making a beverage comprising abeverage preparation machine and a beverage cartridge: wherein thebeverage cartridge comprises an extraction chamber containing roastedground coffee having a dry Helos particle size distribution D50 of lessthan or equal to 200 microns; and wherein the beverage preparationmachine comprises a source of an aqueous medium, a pump and acontroller, the controller being programmed to pump the aqueous mediumthrough the extraction chamber of the beverage cartridge at a flow rateof 0.5 to 5 ml/s and at a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C. to form thebeverage.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the roasted ground coffee inthe beverage cartridge has a dry Helos particle size distribution D50 ofless than or equal to 150 microns.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein theroasted ground coffee in the beverage cartridge has a dry Helos particlesize distribution D50 of less than or equal to 100 microns.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the aqueous medium is pumped at a temperatureof 1° C. to 25° C.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the aqueous mediumis pumped at a temperature of 15° C. to 25° C.
 6. The system of claim 1wherein the aqueous medium is pumped at a temperature of 20° C. to 25°C.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein the aqueous medium is pumped at aflow rate of 1 to 3 ml/s.
 8. The system of claim 1 wherein the aqueousmedium is pumped at a flow rate of approximately 2 ml/s.
 9. The systemof claim 1 wherein the quantity of roasted ground coffee in theextraction chamber is 9 g or greater.
 10. The system of claim 1 whereinthe quantity of roasted ground coffee in the extraction chamber is 9 gto 13 g.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein the quantity of roastedground coffee in the extraction chamber is 10 g to 13 g.
 12. The systemof claim 1 wherein the fill ratio of the extraction chamber is greaterthan 80%.
 13. The system of claim 1 wherein the fill ratio of theextraction chamber is greater than 100%.
 14. The system of claim 1wherein the fill ratio of the extraction chamber is 80% to 150%.
 15. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the beverage preparation machine comprises avalve for setting an extraction pressure experienced during extractionin the extraction chamber of the beverage cartridge and wherein thecontroller is programmed to operate the valve to set the extractionpressure at 4 to 20 bar.
 16. The system of claim 15 wherein the valve islocated downstream of the beverage cartridge.
 17. A beverage cartridgefor use in the system of claim 1 comprising an extraction chambercontaining 9 g or greater of roasted ground coffee having a dry Helosparticle size distribution D50 of less than or equal to 200 microns. 18.A beverage cartridge as claimed in claim 17 further comprising a codereadable by the beverage preparation machine, wherein the code instructsthe controller of the beverage preparation machine to pump an aqueousmedium through the extraction chamber of the beverage cartridge at aflow rate of 0.5 to 5 ml/s and at a temperature of 1° C. to 40° C. toform a beverage.